


You Carry My Heart With You Always

by shadowed_sunsets



Category: Doctor Who (2005)
Genre: F/M, Fluff, Pre-Doomsday, solo adventuring while Rose worries, takes place during series 2
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-10-11
Updated: 2017-10-11
Packaged: 2019-01-15 22:21:06
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,633
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12330021
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/shadowed_sunsets/pseuds/shadowed_sunsets
Summary: When the Doctor leaves her behind when he has to travel to a planet deadly to humans, Rose expects him to be back for her within the five and a half hour limit he's promised. But when hours turn to days, and days to weeks, Rose finds herself constantly searching the sky for the blue box and alien she now calls home. Ten/Rose fluff.





	You Carry My Heart With You Always

 

Rose stood outside her flat, leaning against the railing of the hallway as she gazed down at the cement area.

There were a few kids bouncing a ball around, people passing by on the sidewalk to the far right, and loud music coming from a flat just down the way. But other than those, there was no sign of what she really wanted to see, of what she’d been looking for for weeks now.

Every day for seven weeks, she’s been standing in this exact same place. She stares at the cemented area, wishing with all her heart for the TARDIS to appear right before her eyes.

She waits to hear that oh so familiar sound of the groaning engines, heralding the arrival of the police box that has become like home to her, and the alien she has fallen completely in love with.

It’s been seven weeks since she’s last seen the TARDIS, and been able to hug or talk with the Doctor. Seven long weeks.

She’s tried not to feel abandoned, to not give up hope that he’ll come back for her at all. It’s not like he’d just dropped her off and then vanished. He’d told her where he was going, and that she couldn’t go with him this time because this certain planet happened to be deadly for humans. She just has to believe in him, and trust that he’ll come back soon.

Before the Doctor had left, he’d reassured her that he wouldn’t be gone for too long, and that he would be back before she knew it.

Of course, this from the man who’d told her he’d have her back within twelve hours, and then it’d turned out to be twelve months. She’d teased him by reminding him of this, and then laughed at his indignant babbling as he tried to defend himself. In the end, Rose had comforted him by kissing him on the cheek before sending him off with a smile and a wave.

Now though, Rose wished she hadn’t reminded him of that time. It made her worry that just maybe his return would be the same, that he’d show up insisting it’d been only a few hours for him, when it’d been weeks for her.

In the beginning, she’d told herself he would be back after five and a half hours… that was all. Then, when a day had passed, Rose had amended it to five and a half days, then weeks. But, it had been nearly seven weeks now, and there was still no sign of him.

Her worrying over if he’d never come back had changed to worrying if he’d died alone on that far away planet. The planet where he’d gone off to help fight for, and then regenerated so soon after his last. It made her chide herself for not going with him, even if he’d told her the atmosphere of this particular planet was deadly for humans, and she’d probably die within five minutes of stepping outside. They both knew there was little chance she’d stay inside the Tardis while he was gone, even with warning.

So she’d stayed in the flat with her mum, watching every day for her second home to return to her.

But so far, it’d been fruitless. There was no sign of the Tardis, or the Doctor, and she knew everyday her mum was growing more and more worried. Especially since she spent so much time standing outside, staring at the concrete area.

At least her mum hadn’t told her to try and move on, to create a new life for herself. Her mum knew better now than to think she would simply get over the Doctor. He meant far too much to her now, as did the Tardis.

Rose lowered her head to look at the thin golden band around her ring finger on her left hand. The Doctor had given it to her right before he’d left, telling her it was a way of keeping her safe, or at least trying to keep her out of danger while he was gone.

It wasn’t a real ring of course. Not that her heart hadn’t skipped a beat when he first pulled it out of his pocket and showed it to her. He hadn’t noticed her reaction, as usual, instead he’d slipped it onto her finger with a short, for him, explanation. Then he’d gone back into the Tardis, and left… leaving her in a place that’d once been her home.

She’d tried to hide the ring from her mum, but Jackie had soon seen it and then raised a fuss about how that alien had finally decided to take her baby away for good. Rose had spent minutes trying to calm her down, and then had had to explain what had really happened. It had taken a few attempts, but Jackie had finally understood that she and the Doctor were _not_ married, and that he hadn’t really abandoned her.

That had been weeks ago, and Rose knew her mum was really worrying now, even if she hadn’t specifically said anything.

Rose twisted the simple golden ring back the other way, and sighed softly. She hadn’t once taken the ring off since the Doctor left, even though she wasn’t quite sure just how the ring was supposed to keep her safe. Knowing the Doctor, this probably was an actual ring and he’d just jiggery-poked it somehow. But she still didn’t remove it.

It wasn’t like Rose was wallowing or anything. She was just worried about the Doctor, and if he was all right. Anyway, every time Rose walked around London, she was reminded of everywhere she’d gone and everything she and the Doctor had done together even here.

It just made her miss him even more.

So far none of her friends, including Mickey, had heard about her return. Something she was thankful for. Rose didn’t really feel like playing twenty questions with anyone about what she’d been doing for the past few years. All though she was surprised Mickey hadn’t come running at the first hint of the Tardis engines. But that was okay.

She’d finally met Howard, which had been nice. He was a really good bloke after all, and seemed to deeply care for her mum. Howard wasn’t like her mum’s usual men either, so Rose hoped they lasted. It was nice to see her mum finally happy in a way she hadn’t seen in many years.

It turned out that Howard had laughed when he found out what happened to his robe, which didn’t hurt either.

After Rose met Howard, he and her mum had begun conspiring together to get her out of the flat and away from her place on the balcony. When Jackie went out shopping, she dragged Rose along with her, and the two of them took her along when they went out for meals. Rose was grateful for this, but sometimes she also just wanted to be left alone.

Tonight was one of those nights. Her mum and Howard were taking her to one of the nearby pubs for a quiz night. Apparently they thought her presence would help them win, and that it was also a good opportunity to get drunk.

Rose wasn’t so sure of that, but it was better to go along with her mum than to argue when her mind was set. So Rose just let them drag her along. Most of the time she just spent the night sitting at the bar sipping at some nonalcoholic drink. (She might be of age, but Rose had already had enough of alcohol to last her a lifetime).

What annoyed Rose the most about those nights, was that some of the boys her age didn’t get the hint that she wanted to be left alone. They kept coming up to where she was sitting at the bar, and trying, unsuccessfully, to flirt with her. The first few times, she’d been touched, but then quickly sent them away. After the sixth or so though, she’d gotten fed up and started yelling at them. To her relief, that sent them away quicker than ever. And afterwards, even fewer came up to her. It didn’t hurt that she was wearing the ring either. When Rose flashed it at the boys, as she’d hoped, they guessed she was engaged and quickly skittered off, sometimes with an apology.

They didn’t have to know it wasn’t a real ring.

Besides, Rose would never ever betray the Doctor. No matter how long she had to wait for him, she always would. He’d told her he would come back for her, and Rose believed him. There wasn’t and never could be a substitute for the Doctor’s place in her heart and her life.

No regular bloke from London could even come close to that.

Rose jumped at the sound of the door to their flat opening behind her. She turned around to see her mum walk out, purse hanging from her arm as she reached back to pull the door closed behind her.

Rose opened her mouth to speak. But before she could form a single word, her mum tightly grabbed her arm and began pulling her down the balcony, talking a mile a minute.

Jackie continued talking the entire way to the pub. She only finally stopped when she spotted Howard standing outside the door waiting for them.

Jackie and Howard made their way into the pub then, arm in arm. Rose quickly followed them inside, but headed to the bar instead of just joining them at a booth.

The barman must have recognized her, because as she slid onto one of the stools, a tall glass of lemonade appeared in front of her.

Rose thanked him and took a sip. It was just as good as she remembered. Hands resting on the bar, Rose leaned as far back as she could without falling, stretching.

Despite the relatively late hour, the bar wasn’t even half full yet. She could easily find her mum and Howard sitting at one of the booths near the corner if she turned her head the right way.

Jackie caught her eye and waved just as Rose was turning back towards the bar. Her mum was already on her first beer, and seemed well on her way to having a good night.

Rose ducked her head embarrassed, and waved a little before quickly facing the bar again. She loved her mum, but Rose hoped she wouldn’t do anything more embarrassing.

Just as she took another drink from her glass, a friendly familiar voice spoke up from behind her, one that she had been waiting weeks to hear again.

“So what’s a beautiful adventurous girl like you doing in a bar like this?”

Hoping that her ears and mind weren’t playing tricks on her, Rose whirled around on her stool to face the person she hoped was standing there.

But it seemed that this time, she wasn’t dreaming as her wide hazel eyes met familiar dancing brown.

“D-Doctor?”

As she spoke, the amusement in his expression faded into a soft smile, and the corners of his eyes wrinkled up slightly.

But, all he said was a soft, “Rose.”

Rose’s face broke out into a huge grin then. It _was_ him! There was only ever one person who said her name like that.

“Doctor!” She exclaimed happily, throwing herself into his waiting arms.

Barely a second after her arms closed around him, she felt his wrap around her.

And, for the first time in weeks, Rose finally felt safe.

She moved her head from where it rested on his shoulder, to bury her face against his chest, relishing in the sound of his familiar double heartbeat.

“I missed you,” she whispered softly, the words muffled by his clothes.

Rose both felt and heard him laugh as his arms tightened even more around her.

“I missed you too,” the Doctor admitted quietly.

For a few seconds they simply stood there, enjoying each other’s company after such a long time apart.

Finally, the Doctor was the first to pull away, but Rose was almost sure she felt him lightly kiss the top of her head before he released her.

Before she could say anything else, he was leaning sideways around her to address the barman who had just come up to them.

“Banana daiquiri, thanks. Extra bananas.”

Rose laughed. The barman gave both of them an odd look, but moved away to make the drink.

“I’m glad you came back,” Rose told him, staring up into his eyes. They were darker than usual; this was one of the times when he almost looked every bit his real age. She wondered if it was his most recent adventure that had put that look in his eyes, or if she just hadn’t noticed it before he left.

The Doctor’s gaze skittered away from her then. He raised a hand and tugged lightly on his ear. “You didn’t think I would?” He asked, not managing to completely keep the hurt note from his voice.

Rose shook her head. “’Course I did!” She quickly reassured him. “It’s just…” Rose paused, a smile sneaking across her face. “Twelve hours, twelve months…”

The Doctor groaned loudly, running his hands through his longer than usual hair. “You’re never going to let me forget that are you?” He asked in the tone of someone who already knows the answer and is resigned to it.

“’Course not!” Rose replied without much thought. Why would she forget? But she was distracted by the sight of his long fingers sliding through his even longer dark strands.

She hadn’t been imagining it then, his hair really was longer than the last time she’d seen him. With the Doctor being so fussy about his hair, (did he really think everyone believed he got it to look like that naturally?), this was shabbier than she ever thought he’d let it get.

There had been a pause of silence as Rose thought about how much he’d changed, and the Doctor was probably lost in his own thoughts. But then, he looked back at her and asked hesitantly, “How long this time?”

Rose hesitated a little in answering him before she said, twisting the truth, “I didn’t really keep count.” Before, she had planned to make sure he knew just how long he’d left her. But now, Rose realized that it didn’t really matter. He had come back, just like he said.

The Doctor must have known she wasn’t exactly telling the truth, because he sighed and said, “Rose…” It sounded to her like he’d readied himself for the worst.

“It doesn’t matter,” Rose told him firmly. “You’re back, that’s what I care about.” When he opened his mouth in what she guessed would be a protest, Rose shook her head. “Don’t,” she pleaded quietly.

After looking at her for a long moment, the Doctor finally nodded, relenting.

He looked over her shoulder again at the bar, his eyes running up and down the length of the wooden structure. “Where’d that barman get to?” The Doctor asked puzzled.

Rose inwardly sighed. He was trying to lighten the mood again. But she just slid back onto the stool and began lightly sipping at her drink.

The barman appeared a few seconds later, carrying what looked to be the Doctor’s drink.

“Ah, brilliant!” The Doctor said happily, clapping his hands.

The barman set it down on the bar in front of where the Doctor had slid onto the stool next to Rose. He put down extra napkins as well, before walking away again.

In a few seconds time, the Doctor had pounced upon the drink, and was happily sipping away.

Rose smiled, and finished off the rest of her lemonade.

When the Doctor next came up for air, he leaned back on his stool, sighing happily. “Mm, delicious!” He announced in an overly loud voice.

“Doctor,” Rose sighed, and reached over to tug lightly on his sleeve. “Think you’re supposed to get tipsy _after_ you finish all of it.”

Except, this wasn’t the same pinstriped fabric she was used to.

He didn’t seem to have noticed teasing. Instead, he was once again happily sipping away at his drink.

Removing her fingers from the strange fabric, Rose realized she hadn’t really taken the time to look at him properly.

She turned towards him, but just then the barman returned and asked if she wanted another lemonade.

“No, thanks,” Rose said, waving her hand as if to hurry him away.

But at the sound of their voices, the Doctor momentarily stopped drinking and raised his head.

“You all right?” He asked worriedly as the barman walked away.

Rose nodded reassuringly. “Yeah, ‘course. Just not really thirsty anymore.”

The Doctor gave her a suspicious look, but didn’t seem to find anything since he returned to his drink.

Now that he was preoccupied again, for the moment, Rose made another attempt at figuring out just what he was wearing.

Like she’d guessed before, it wasn’t the pinstriped suit she was used to seeing him in. Instead, it looked like a very early version of a tunic and breeches.

He didn’t look completely ridiculous in the get-up, to her faint surprise. The simple green tunic set off his hair and eyes, and the dark breeches fit well enough. Rose was just a little unsure about the cloak.

Finally she just couldn’t take it anymore. “What are you wearing?” Rose asked, not quite able to stop her laughter from sneaking out.

The Doctor promptly stopped drinking at her incredulous tone, and turned to look at her. “What do you mean, ‘what am I wearing’?” He asked sounding confused, as if she’d told him the moon was made of cheese when he’d known all along. “I’ll have you know this is considered perfectly suitable clothing for men on…”

Rose guessed the next word he said was the name of the planet he’d just returned from, but it just sounded like a mix of low sounds and clicking noises to her. She couldn’t understand any of it.

“That might be true, Doctor,” Rose replied amused. “But you’re on Earth now,” She reminded him. “And it’s the 21st century, which makes that,” Rose pointed her finger up and down at his outfit, “just a little outdated.”

The Doctor smiled at her. “You’d know of course,” he said warmly. But then his smile slipped slightly. “Do you really not like this?” The Doctor asked, picking at his tunic.

Rose paused, thinking, before she replied. “I like your brown and stripes better is all.” Rose admitted, looking at the tunic. “I missed them.”

He reached over and took her hand, squeezing it lightly. “Well, you don’t have to miss them anymore.” The Doctor comforted her, and then paused, “Or me.”

Rose smiled gratefully at him. “Thanks, Doctor.”

The Doctor grinned at her. “Well then,” he began, but then turned to noisily finish off his drink.

Rose winced at the noise, and quickly covered her ears. She was fairly sure he was being this loud on purpose. “Doctor!” Rose protested.

He didn’t seem to hear her, she wondered if he could even hear at all, and just continued drinking.

When there was quite obviously nothing left, the Doctor sipped loudly a few more times as if just to make sure. Only then did he turn back to Rose, and continued as if he’d never stopped, “Let’s return to the Tardis, shall we?”

Rose smiled happily at him, heart racing at the thought of seeing the ship again. “Yeah, lets.”

She slid off the stool after him, and turned towards where her mum and Howard were sitting. It took a while, but Rose was finally able to catch her mum’s eyes. Rose waved and gestured at herself and the Doctor with her hand, then towards the door.

Jackie smiled widely and waved enthusiastically back. Once she understood what Rose was trying to tell her, her smile turned slightly sad, but she nodded her understanding and waved them on. She had known that as soon as the Doctor returned, Rose would be off again. Jackie had just been glad to see her daughter again for such a long time.

Rose knew that although her mum might let her go with the Doctor, she wouldn’t be entirely happy about it. So she slid her mobile out of her pocket and waved it at her mum. It was a silent promise that she _would_ indeed call.

Jackie nodded again, and then turned back to continue her conversation with Howard.

Smiling now, Rose turned to see the Doctor standing next to her, watching.

She looked curiously at him. “What is it? Have you paid for us yet?”

The Doctor did a fairly good impression of a fish. “What? Why do _I_ have to pay?”

Rose sighed and began rummaging in her pockets for her wallet. “You’re going to be a cheap date again, aren’t you?”

He laughed uncomfortably, and ran a hand through his hair. “I didn’t really take the time to prepare before coming to find you Rose. I just landed the Tardis and came.” The Doctor looked down at his clothes. “I didn’t even change at all.”

“I can see that,” Rose agreed, taking out her wallet. She pulled out enough to cover the fee, and slapped it down on the bar. “But,” Rose continued, turning to him with a smile, “I’m glad you came right away.”

The Doctor smiled happily back as she slipped her wallet back into her pocket.

“So,” he began, raising his hand to offer it to her. “Onwards and upwards?”

 

Without hesitation, Rose slipped her hand into his, and walked with him out of the pub. “Always.” 

 

 


End file.
